Copyright: ©Nico Mak Computing, Inc., Help by Wordsmith Assoc
Citation: ©Nico Mak Computing, Inc., Help by Wordsmith Associates


Contents
  Welcome

Hello! I'm your WinZip Tutor, ready and waiting to keep you company and help you through your first experience with WinZip. I'll take you through each of the steps to unzip a sample file and create a new one. While there are many advanced features within WinZip, we'll just go through the basics in these exercises.

Click on How to use the Tutor if this is our first meeting so you can understand the best way to use this guide.

  How to use the Tutor

  Unzipping your first file

  Creating a zip file

  Close the Tutor


How to use the Tutor 1
  How to use the Tutor  1of 3

I will guide you through each step of unzipping and zipping with WinZip.

When you’ve completed a step, click on the [image] button above or repeated below. You can click the [image] button in the button bar above to review any steps.

Notice that some text looks different than the rest, like this. It indicates that you can click on it to make something happen, or to get more information about the term highlighted.


DemoPop
This pop-up window can tell you or show you more about WinZip.


How to use the Tutor 2
  How to use the Tutor  2 of 3

You can move and resize the Tutor and other windows to arrange them to make working with the Tutor and WinZip easiest for you.

Click and hold down your left mouse button on the title bar of this window to drag it around the screen so it’s where you want it to be. You can resize it by clicking and dragging a corner.


How to use the Tutor 3
  How to use the Tutor  3 of 3

Let's unzip our first file using Windows Explorer. There are many ways to unzip files using WinZip, but you may find that this method is the easiest and most convenient.

If you haven't already done so, open Windows Explorer. Clicking on this icon will open the program for you.

Move and/or size the windows so you can use Windows Explorer and the Tutor at the same time.

Now, click on the [image] button to move to Unzipping your First File, or click on the Contents button to return to the beginning of the Tutor.


Unzipping your first file 1
  Unzipping Your First File  1 of 7

I have included a special EXAMPLE.ZIP for you to practice with.

Navigate through Explorer to locate EXAMPLE.ZIP so you can unzip it. Mine is in my C:\DOWNLOAD directory. Yours is in the directory where you placed the WinZip Tutor's files.

Remember that you can move and resize both the Tutor and Explorer windows to make the process as convenient as possible.


Unzipping your first file 2
  Unzipping Your First File  2 of 7

Double-click on EXAMPLE.ZIP using your left mouse button.

WinZip will automatically open.

Move the WinZip dialog, if necessary, so you can work with it and the Tutor at the same time.


Unzipping your first file 3
  Unzipping Your First File  3 of 7

Click on the WinZip [image] button to open the Extract dialog.

Now, I'm typing in the directory where I want the contents of the zip file to go: C:\DOWNLOADS\EXAMPLE

You can also use the file management dialog to move around and select a destination folder or directory. Now it's time for you to choose your destination for your files.

 Click here to see what I'm doing and to check it against your progress.

My EXAMPLE directory doesn't yet exist, but WinZip will automatically make it for me, and will create your directory for you, too, if you want.


Unzipping your first file 4
  Unzipping Your First File  4 of 7

Click on the [image] button to unzip the file.

The contents of the EXAMPLE.ZIP file are now unzipped — just that quick! Wasn't that easy?

Before we leave the unzipping process, I want to show you a WinZip feature that you will find very handy.

Notice that you can see the three files inside EXAMPLE.ZIP listed in the WinZip box.


UnzipDialogPop


Unzipping your first file 5
  Unzipping Your First File  5 of 7

Double-click on the README.TXT file in your WinZip window.

It should open automatically into the program associated with files with a TXT extension (usually Notepad). Read the file to learn more about README files.


Unzipping your first file 6
  Unzipping Your First File  6 of 7

You can look at files inside the zip another way. Highlight FILE_ID.DIZ by clicking on it once. Now, click on the View button in the WinZip window.

You can use the default viewer, but you can also click on the circle next to WinZip's Internal ASCII Text Viewer, and then click on View. Now you can view the FILE_ID.DIZ, the zip's description file.

All this can be done without running the extract operation!


Associations
Associations - when you double-click on a file with a certain type of extension (the three characters after the period), the program that is associated with the extension automatically launches to run the file. Read your Windows 95 documentation or consult its help file for more information.


Unzipping your first file 7
  Unzipping Your First File  7 of 7

Now that you've discovered how easy it is to unzip files with WinZip, you can...

 Click here to stop and say goodbye to the Tutor, and unzip all those other files you have, or...

move on to the next lesson by clicking on Next

  Creating a Zip File


Creating a Zip File 1
  Creating a Zip File  1 of 5

Let's zip up the files we just unzipped!

Open WinZip through your Start menu, or whatever menuing system you use.

If necessary, move the WinZip dialog so you can continue to read the Tutor and work with WinZip, too.


Creating a Zip File 2
  Creating a Zip File  2 of 5

Click on the [image] toolbar button.

This familiar file dialog will be shown:

Move to the EXAMPLE directory that was created when you Unzipped the EXAMPLE.ZIP file in the previous exercise.

We’ll create a new zip file using the files we just unzipped.


Creating a Zip File 3
  Creating a Zip File  3 of 5

Now, type in EXAMPLE2 as the name of the new zip file, as shown, and then click OK.

That’s what we’ll call this zip file we’re creating.


Creating a Zip File 4
  Creating a Zip File  4 of 5

Click on the [image] toolbar button.

Let's add these three files to the new zip!

Highlight all of them by clicking on each while holding down your Ctrl key.

 Click here to see what I'm doing and to check it against your progress.

Once they are highlighted, click on the [image] button in the lower section of the dialog, and WinZip automatically zips up the three files within the new zip file.

Now you can close WinZip by choosing the Exit item from the [image] menu item.

Congratulations! You’ve created a zip file!


add pop


Creating a Zip File 5
  Creating a Zip File  5 of 5

Now that you've discovered how easy it is to unzip and zip up files with WinZip, you can...

 Click here to stop and say goodbye to the Tutor, or

 Click on the Contents button to return to the beginning menu.


  Closing the WinZip Tutor

There's so much more to WinZip! Consult the complete WinZip help file anytime by pressing F1 while you're using WinZip or by clicking on its Help menu entry.

 Click here to leave the WinZip Tutor, or Click on

 Contents to return to the beginning menu of the Tutor.

Thanks for spending time with the WinZip Tutor, and enjoy using my favorite program!

Copyright 1995-96 Nico Mak Computing, Inc.

This Tutor is a creative collaboration with

Wordsmith Associates